Doug Stanhope - From Across the Street
By Nick Manteris · 1 Comments · Leave a Comment
For years, Doug Stanhope was my favorite comedian and I would tell people this – without hesitation – whenever the subject came up. It all started with Word of Mouth, his shockingly funny 90-minute stand-up video filled with life observations, social commentary and an unflinching honesty about a multitude of topics, ranging from 9/11 and abortion to drugs, sex toys and transvestites. That DVD is mysteriously unavailable on his website though. (I think most of that same material overlaps on Sicko, Something To Take the Edge Off and Die Laughing, however, so perhaps the absence is not so mysterious.)
Doug Stanhope probably needs a disclaimer before we get any further: He drinks, he does drugs, he’s vulgar and…he’s right about most of the observations that he makes. He can take the worst possible topic, start telling a story that makes you think, “This isn’t funny,” and then somehow twist it into the funniest thing you’ve heard in a long time. Most people probably just get offended at the “this isn’t funny” part and don’t stick around for the rest, so there are a lot of people that don’t like him. (How completely awesome would it be if those people were forced to sit through one of his shows? I digress…) He also hosted (and supposedly ruined) The Man Show and appeared on a Girl’s Gone Wild video, but those projects were done strictly for the paychecks and should be avoided as such.
In the beginning of From Across the Street, Stanhope curses bloggers with a preemptive strike, which allows me to say this without guilt: his new CD (which I did download illegally, Mr. Stanhope, thank you very much) is just not as good as the aforementioned video. It seems like a step down in quality from his Showtime special No Refunds, which was a step down from that first DVD I watched…but, then again, maybe it just takes more to make me laugh these days. Maybe I’ve become desensitized to comedy. Maybe I no longer get a chuckle out of two-headed babies. Maybe cock fingering just doesn’t do it for me anymore. I just want things to be exciting and new like the first time…is that so wrong?
Anyway, back to the CD: Stanhope keeps things current with a bit about free healthcare and takes the time to explain why Americans don’t deserve it. He tells us about Pepsi puppies and “real” adventurers and even stops two-thirds into his act to ask the audience some legitimate questions about monogamy and love. He wonders about his own profession, asking, “are we so bereft – as a species – of laughter that you will actually pay money…” before trailing off into another tangent with a punchline. There are definitely some laughs to be found, but there just aren’t as many here as I found in some of his previous work. (Deadbeat Hero might be his best thing since Word of Mouth, if anyone is keeping track.)
All of that said…there are quite a few more laughs on From Across the Street than there were in the last comedy movie that I spent twenty dollars at the theater to go see – and I didn’t get sick eating an entire bucket of popcorn by myself. That’s got to count for something.
Oh, by the way, Doug Stanhope is still my favorite comedian and he will retain that title until someone comes along that can make me laugh harder than he can.
Any Attempt is Awesome
First of all, yes Dead Beat Hero contains the most content that can be considered badass ridiculously excellent original comedy. But the new stuff is also very original, and really funny. It is very unfair to judge a comic on each album based on context. the year plus the political landscape, plus the set of movies that have been played out, all sell a comic who has no imagination. If you like true talent, Stanhope has it. Sorry.
Wed, 02/24/2010 - 04:06 · BPliska